Céline Dion has stiff-person syndrome. Here's how that could affect her - NPR

Céline Dion performing successful 2019, the twelvemonth her satellite circuit was archetypal scheduled to begin. It has since been delayed repeatedly, archetypal owed to the pandemic and past due to the fact that of musculus spasms that person present been diagnosed arsenic stiff-person syndrome. Rich Fury/Getty Images for NARAS hide caption

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Rich Fury/Getty Images for NARAS

Céline Dion performing successful 2019, the twelvemonth her satellite circuit was archetypal scheduled to begin. It has since been delayed repeatedly, archetypal owed to the pandemic and past due to the fact that of musculus spasms that person present been diagnosed arsenic stiff-person syndrome.

Rich Fury/Getty Images for NARAS

The vocalist Céline Dion announced she yet has a diagnosis for the aesculapian information that has caused her to cancel and postpone performances implicit the past year.

In a tearful societal media station Wednesday, the "My Heart Will Go On" vocalist said she's been suffering from stiff-person syndrome, a uncommon and incurable neurological information that causes terrible musculus spasms and stiffening successful the limbs.

"Unfortunately, these spasms impact each facet of my regular life, sometimes causing difficulties erstwhile I locomotion and not allowing maine to usage my vocal cords to sing the mode I'm utilized to," Dion said in an affectional video posted connected Instagram, which she published successful some English and her autochthonal French.

Dion, 54, has repeatedly postponed and canceled performances successful the past twelvemonth due to the fact that of wellness concerns, which she antecedently had described arsenic "severe and persistent musculus spasms."

Dion was successful the mediate of a agelong performance circuit successful 2020 erstwhile it was interrupted by the pandemic. It was yet acceptable to restart successful February, with different 50 shows planned, but 8 person been canceled and 23 person been rescheduled for 2024.

"All I cognize is singing," Dion said, increasing emotional. "It's what I've done each my beingness and it's what I emotion to bash the most."

The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, a part of the National Institutes of Health, defines stiff-person syndrome arsenic a neurological upset with features of an autoimmune disease.

The upset causes "fluctuating musculus rigidity" and spasms that are triggered by things similar large noise, acold temperatures oregon abrupt movement. The spasms tin origin oregon exacerbate falls, which tin effect successful further injury.

"Abnormal postures, often hunched implicit and stiffened, are diagnostic of the disorder. People with SPS tin beryllium excessively disabled to locomotion oregon move, oregon they are acrophobic to permission the location due to the fact that thoroughfare noises, specified arsenic the dependable of a horn, tin trigger spasms and falls," the institute says.

Stiff-person syndrome is rare. It affects "only astir 1 oregon 2 successful a cardinal people," according to the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine.

Researchers don't afloat recognize the causes of the disorder, the NIH says, but it could beryllium the effect of an autoimmune upset successful the encephalon and spinal cord. People with SPS person elevated levels of antibodies that people an enzyme that synthesizes an important neurotransmitter successful the brain.

The upset is not curable, but attraction with musculus relaxants and anti-convulsants tin assistance amended and power symptoms, doctors say.

In her announcement, Dion said she's drafting spot from her 3 children and believes she's connected the roadworthy to recovery.

"I'm moving hard with my sports medicine therapist each time to physique backmost my spot and my quality to execute each day," she said. "But I person to admit it's been a struggle."

Dion is 1 of the astir palmy vocalists of each time. She has sold much than 200 cardinal records worldwide and has had aggregate singles scope No. 1 connected Billboard charts, including "My Heart Will Go On," "The Power Of Love" and "It's All Coming Back To Me Now." Her years-long residencies successful Las Vegas person been among the astir profitable of each time.

The vocalist was acceptable to statesman a caller residency astatine Resorts World Las Vegas sometime successful 2023. It's not wide erstwhile that residency — which besides has been postponed repeatedly since 2021 — volition begin. She besides volition marque her acting debut successful May, erstwhile "Love Again," a romanticist drama with Priyanka Chopra, is scheduled for release.